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News, notes, rumors, and gossip: Wednesday, December 5, 2012

EXCERPTS FROM EXTERNAL NEWS ARTICLES REGARDING THE NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS ARE POSTED UNDER THEIR SOURCES. MISCELLANEOUS SPORTS ARTICLES ARE POSTED UNDER THE "MISCELLANEOUS" SECTION AT THE END OF THE THREAD. LINKS FOR ALL LISTED SOURCES ARE INCLUDED TO ALLOW MEMBERS TO INDEPENDENTLY BROWSE AT THEIR LEISURE.

Excerpt: "An appearance on Monday Night Football means it's a short week for the Giants as they prepare for the Saints on Sunday. The Giants return to the practice field this afternoon looking to right the ship with just a one-game cushion in the NFC East with four to go.

SAINTS

For two seasons, Steve Spagnuolo witnessed Eli Manning develop everyday as the Giants' defensive coordinator. The first of those years ended in a victory in Super Bowl XLII, more because of his defense than Manning. But last season's Super Bowl run was different and Spagnuolo offered his two cents on the never-ending discussion over whether Manning is one of the league's "elite" quarterbacks.

The Giants defense was a top-5 unit in nearly all categories in 2008, the year after the Super Bowl win, and Spagnuolo was rewarded with the head coaching job in St. Louis. He was fired over the offseason after going 10-38 in three seasons without a playoff appearance." Read more...

##

Giants' Tom Coughlin Calls Number Of Penalties "Shocking" In Loss To Redskins

The Giants won the turnover battle, 1-0. In coach Tom Coughlin’s eight-plus seasons, the Giants were 33-4 in turnover-free games, including the postseason, entering Monday night’s game.

They rushed for over 100 yards for the third consecutive game, 117 to be exact. In Coughlin’s tenure, the Giants were 67-29 with such results.

Defensively, they held the Redskins to 17 points. Under Coughlin, the Giants had lost just four times when holding an opponent to 17 or fewer points.

But on Monday night, one statistic trumped all: nine penalties for 73 yards. That was the Giants’ output in their 17-16 loss to Washington. The inflated totals blindsided Coughlin and the Giants in a precarious, if familiar, position.

Now at 7-5 on the season, the Giants own just a one-game lead over the Redskins and Cowboys in the NFC East with a daunting four-game schedule remaining.

“It’s a four-game season and we have to win, literally, every one of our games,” Coughlin said on a conference call Tuesday. “That’s how I look at it.” Read more...

Antrel Rolle Says Giants Gave Too Much Praise To RG III Leading Up To Game

Excerpt: "Leading up to last night's loss to the Redskins, a few Giants defensive players were very complimentary of rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III. They had good reason. Entering the game, Griffin had taken the NFL by storm. He had 16 touchdowns to four interceptions, and 642 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.

But one player believes the high praise crossed the line.

“Personally, that’s something myself, that’s not anything I’ve been too fond of,” Rolle said in a radio interview on WFAN this afternoon. “Do I respect my opponents? I respect them. You know, I’ll give credit when credit’s due. But I’m not gonna kiss anyone’s butt before the game. That’s something that I’m never, ever gonna do as long as I’m playing the game of football.”

Griffin wasn't as spectacular last night -- a 17-16 win -- as he has been in other games. He was 13-of-21 for 163 yards and a touchdown, but did have 72 rushing yards, 46 of which came on the ground.

Rolle said teammates' compliments of Griffin is a sign of a lack of intensity the team needs.

“I think we just need to get back to being a little nasty, having a nasty attitude,” said Rolle. “Like I said, don’t do anything that’s out of the line of football, but have a little nasty attitude, get a little bit more dog in us, and go out there and play the game. Play the game physical, play the game tough, play the game hard, and we’ll give hugs and kisses after the game." Read more...

Excerpt: "A day after the Giants' 17-16 loss to the Redskins, Justin Tuck welcomed the chance to get his mind off of football for a few hours. The Giants' defensive captain hosted his annual toy and book drive at Garden State Plaza tonight -- to benefit the Boys and Girls Club and his R.U.S.H. for Literacy foundation -- before getting back to work tomorrow to break down the Redskins loss and prepare for a "pretty potent" Saints team.

"We know what it’s going to take for us to get where we want to go. Hopefully that happens. Hopefully we put things back together," Tuck said. "But we can’t continue to play inconsistent football like we have. We had a great week last week against Green Bay. We had a decent week this week, but obviously everything is kind of dumbed down because you lose the football game. So hopefully we get back in happier spirits after next week’s game."

Tuck echoed one point coach Tom Coughlin made: The Giants did not play a bad game, but their efforts were derailed by several key mistakes, including nine penalties.

"Sometimes you over-analyze things as far as the loss goes," Tuck said. "I thought we played decently last night. I thought we played well enough, if you take a few mistakes out of there, to win that football game. We’ve had issues with this team as far as playing bad games. I wouldn’t say last night was a bad game."

Tuck pointed out that the Redskins loss wasn't like the Week 10 loss to the Bengals, "where you just have no answer (to what happened)." The Giants were in the game until the end, needing one final defensive stop or a drive to a field goal to win." Read more...

Excerpt: "When the Giants came off their bye two weeks ago, they pressed the reset button and boiled down the season to its simplest form: a six-game season.

With a one-game cushion in the NFC East, the heat was on. A resounding win in the mini-season opener against the Packers gave them a two-game lead. But, just like that, that no longer is the case.

Now the six-game season is a four-game affair and a one-game lead is all they enjoy once again following last night's 17-16 loss to the surging Redskins. The remaining four-game schedule is stiff, beginning with an underachieving Saints team on Sunday, followed by visits to Atlanta and Baltimore.

Again, as was the case last season, the Giants are not making it easy on themselves.

"I'm just looking at it one game at a time knowing full well that it's a four-game season and we have to win literally every one of our games," head coach Tom Coughlin said today in a conference call with reporters. "That's how I look at it."

Having to win all four games isn't exactly a necessity. The Giants, currently at 7-5, could conceivably afford a loss -- maybe even two -- down the stretch. But the Giants would likely lose the tiebreaker with the Redskins (6-6) because it will likely be based on divisional record because the teams split the season series. The Cowboys are also in second place in the division at 6-6." Read more...

The Giants had this thing wrapped up a little over a month ago. But there it is. The post-Super Bowl jinx looms again. And this time, there are no excuses, no flukes. If they continue to screw things up, it will be on them.

It is a very plausible scenario. Not only can they blow the NFC East if they don’t finish better than 2-2 the rest of the way, a 9-7 record may not even be good enough for a wild card. And if you look at the schedule, 2-2 isn’t out of the question.

The Saints are first at Met Life Stadium Sunday. Losses to the Niners and Falcons have pretty much finished them, but they will have 10 days off, and there is always Drew Brees, who carved them up last year. Still, the Giants ought to prevail.

Then it gets dicey with back-to-back visits to two of the toughest venues in the league. They will play at the Georgia Dome, where the Falcons (11-1) have won 19 of their last 22 games. Then it’s on to M&T Bank Stadium, where the Ravens just had a 15-game winning streak snapped by the Steelers. That’s a combined 34-4 record if you are scoring." Read more...

Excerpt: "The Giants glowed about the skills of Robert Griffin III in the days leading up to their loss to the Washington Redskins. Maybe they even glowed a little bit too much.

That’s what Antrel Rolle seemed to say on Tuesday when he scolded his teammates for heaping too much pre-game praise on their opponents. Respect, he said, is fine. Just save it for after the game is over.

Going into the Giants’ remaining four games he wants to see the defending champions revive their “nasty attitude” and let the “dog” inside of them finally come out.

“I think we need to start giving more credit after the game as opposed to before the game,” Rolle said during his weekly appearance on WFAN radio. “Personally, that’s not anything I’ve been too fond of. Do I respect my opponents? I respect them. You know, I’ll give credit when credit’s due. But I’m not going to kiss anyone’s butt before the game. That’s something that I’m never, ever going to do as long as I’m playing the game of football.

“I think we just need to get back to being a little nasty, having a nasty attitude, get a little bit more dog in us, and go out there and play the game.”

The Giants (7-5) certainly didn’t seem to have that “dog” in them on Monday night when they fell meekly to the Redskins 17-16. Their penalty-plagued offense managed only a field goal in the second half of the game, and their defense was pushed around for 207 rushing yards and didn’t register a sack." Read more...Locklear Lost For Season With Serious Knee Injury

Excerpt: "Right tackle Sean Locklear was lost for the season on Monday night with what Coughlin would only describe as a “serious” injury to his right knee. It happened in the fourth quarter when his right leg was bent awkwardly between Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw and safety Madieu Williams.

Coughlin declined to get into specifics, except to say that the 31-year-old veteran would need surgery.

“We feel badly for Sean," Coughlin said. "Here's a guy that's come in here, not knowing our system, has played well for us. He's been there when we've needed him. He's done a heck of a job and we all feel bad about this taking place. It is a serious injury, and we're very upset about that. I'm trying to be aware of that. We'll release all that information at the appropriate time."

Coughlin was clearly upset when talking about Locklear, who has played both left and right tackle for the Giants this season. He’s been a stabilizing force on a sometimes shaky offensive line and a good team player who didn’t complain when he was returned to the bench after David Diehl returned to health and reclaimed his spot in the starting lineup." Read More...

Excerpt: "Now that their backs are pressed up against the playoff wall again, now that the Big Blue sky is falling again on the Giants, I have a message Tom Coughlin needs to pound through their skulls every day from now through the final four games:

Play Like Chumps again, and don’t come crying if you choke on the playoffs and someone else is hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.

Once again, it is time to Finish.

Finish the season.Finish Building the Bridge

.Finish like 2007 and 2011, not 2008, 2009 or 2010.

Finish dishonoring Harry Carson with 200-yard run defense and dominate the trenches.

Finish teams with some good old-fashioned killer instinct.

Finish quarterbacks with that fearsome pass rush of yesteryear.Finish drives with touchdowns again.

“I don’t see enough dog out there on the field,” he said on radio yesterday.

And he doesn’t mean poodle.

“I think we just need to get back to being a little nasty,” he said.Destiny is still in your hands.

Don’t drop it.“We have to win literally every one of our games,” Coughlin said.

Then win them:

vs. SAINTS

Drew Brees will be looking to rebound from his five-interception nightmare against the Falcons. And remember he will have studied the Giants for 10 days — a four-day advantage over Eli Manning. And good luck covering tight end Jimmy Graham and Darren Sproles out of the backfield.Joe Vitt has made a difference, but Sean Payton is missed. At least we can be certain there will be no bounty on Manning. The Saints’ defense is the NFL’s worst (440.5 yards allowed) but has averaged 329 yards allowed in its past two games. Hakeem Nicks is not himself. Steve Spagnuolo will have a trick or two up his sleeve for Manning. The 5-7 Saints — 2-4 on the road — will be the more desperate team. But no Dome-field advantage this time." Read more...

Excerpt: "With their lead in the NFC East reduced to a single game, the Giants have margin for error — but it’s thinner than Tom Coughlin’s patience with all the penalties his team committed in Monday night’s 17-16 loss to the Redskins.

The 7-5 Giants are trying to hold off the onrushing Redskins and Cowboys, both 6-6. It is certainly plausible that even if the Giants lose one of their remaining four games they will win the division title, though they do not stack up well if tiebreakers are needed to determine the order of finish.

“I’m going to be aware of all the things you’re talking about,” Coughlin said yesterday, “but that’s not going to enter into my thinking.”

Coughlin is thinking something quite different for his Giants and it goes like this: Win ’em all.“I’m just looking at it one game at a time knowing full well it’s a four-game season,’’ Coughlin said. “We have to win literally every one of our games.”

A clean sweep of the remaining four games won’t be easy, considering up next is the underachieving but dangerous Saints, who always have a puncher’s chance as long as Drew Brees is slinging the football.

Then come road games at Atlanta and Baltimore and the regular-season finale with the self-destructed Eagles.

Coughlin didn’t buy into the theory the Giants could have nailed down the division title if they beat the Redskins.

IIt would be no nailing down,’’ he said. “There are still plenty of games to be played. It certainly would have been a great advantage to win there in terms of the Washington-Giant separation, but that’s not going to eliminate other teams.’’ Read more...

Excerpt: "The Giants are fools if they look at what they have unearthed, remember what they dug up last season and think to themselves, “We got this.’’

When Justin Tuck, after a wasteful 17-16 loss to the Redskins, makes statements like, “That’s what we’ve done all year, we lose a game, we lose two, we bounce back,’’ it leads to an assumption that is sure to cost the Giants dearly.

Losing to the rampaging Redskins in a game the Giants never should have lost does not mean first place in the NFC East, the division title and a playoff berth are now as un-catchable as Robert Griffin III proved himself to be, over and over again. But the Giants have to get something straight in their heads before they face the Saints on Sunday, before these final four games turn into a pathway to an early offseason:

“They’’ was last year’s team, and there is a reason why what they accomplished was so special and rare. “Them’’ is this year’s team, which has been an inconsistent, mood-swing outfit. Here is all the evidence anyone needs to see the difference: In losses to the Steelers and Redskins, the Giants blew fourth-quarter leads, which has nothing to do with “Finish’’ or the bridge Tom Coughlin wants built from last year to this one.

There are two disparate mentalities the Giants should have, best represented in sentiments shared by Tuck and Antrel Rolle. Both are team leaders, in their own ways.

Tuck wants to lean on the résumé his team has put together, the track record of success.

“We still feel confident where we are — we have a one-game lead,’’ he said. “That’s not to say everything’s going to work in our favor like it did last year, but we got confidence in the fact we’ve done it before and we don’t see any reason we won’t be able to bounce back from this.’’

Rolle doesn’t want to lean on anything. He wants to get nasty and stop kissing butts." Read more...

Excerpt: "That is the way coach Tom Coughlin is looking at the remaining four games for the Giants, who squandered a huge opportunity to gain some distance in the NFC East with their 17-16 loss to the Redskins on Monday night.

“I’m just looking at it one game at a time knowing full well it’s a four game season, we have to win literally every one of our games,’’ Coughlin said on Tuesday.

That may or may not be the case, as the Giants (7-5) hold a one-game lead on the Cowboys and Redskins, both 6-6. Even if the Giants have some small margin for error, the situation for the next month will be urgent, starting with Sunday’s game against the Saints. After that, it is road games at Atlanta and Baltimore before the regular-season home finale against the Eagles.

Asked if he thinks his team will respond, Coughlin said “I certainly think we will and I hope we will. I don’t know why we wouldn’t.’’ Read more...

Excerpt: "Antrel Rolle believes he knows one way to get the Giants out of their inconsistent ways and steer them toward the playoffs.

Get nasty and stop kissing butts.

“I think we just need to get back to being a little nasty, having a nasty attitude,” Rolle said Tuesday on his weekly WFAN spot. “Don’t do anything that’s out of the line of football, but have a little nasty attitude, get a little bit more dog in us, and go out there and play the game. Play the game physical, play the game tough, play the game hard, and we’ll give hugs and kisses after the game. But while that game is going on, we respect no one. And that’s how the game of football needs to be played.”

Rolle sounded off a day after the Giants blew a huge chance to take command of the NFC East. Instead of seizing control, the Giants made it a three-team race, as their 17-16 loss to the Redskins leaves the Giants at 7-5 and the Redskins and Cowboys both only one game back at 6-6.

Did Rolle make sure to sound this alarm at this precise time? After all, it was almost exactly a year ago, after a loss to the Redskins dropped the Giants to 7-7, when Rolle stood in front of his locker and challenged his teammates to ignore their aches and pains and get on the practice field, to indeed be “All in.’’ That became the rallying cry for the Giants as they won their last two regular-season games and then won four straight in the postseason to capture their second Super Bowl triumph in a four-year span." Read more...

Ahmad Bradshaw was very good on the ground, gaining 116 total yards and collecting another 100-yard rushing game against a Redskins defense that is typically stout against the run. The Giants also converted nine of 15 chances on third down, moving the chains extremely well and keeping the ball away from Robert Griffin III, especially in the first half. RT Sean Locklear getting carted off after sustaining a knee injury was a major setback.
Passing game: B

Manning (20-of-33, 280 yards, TD, no INTs) was as sharp in the first half as he has been all season and connected with five receivers, including TE Martellus Bennett (5 catches, 82 yards, TD). WR Victor Cruz and WR Hakeem Nicks combined for 147 receiving yards. Even WRs Rueben Randle and Jerrel Jernigan and TE Bear Pascoe made significant catches. A critical holding penalty on LT Will Beatty short-circuited the Giants’ final drive in the fourth quarter, negating a first-down catch by Bennett." Read more...

The Saints defeated the Giants, 49-24, in New Orleans on Monday Night Football in Week 12 of the 2011 regular season.

PTS/G:

26.8 (tied with NYG for 5th in NFL)

Opp. PTS/G:

27.3 (28th)

Passing:

294.2 (3rd)

Opp. Passing:

286.7 (30th)

Rushing:

92.3 (27th)

Opp. Rushing:

153.8 (32nd)

Giants-Saints Connections:

Strength and Conditioning Coach Jerry Palmieri held the same position with the Saints during the 2003 season; Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach Markus Paul held the same position, which was also his first NFL coaching position, with the Saints for two seasons (1998-99); Punter Steve Weatherford came into the NFL as a rookie free agent with the Saints, playing there for three seasons (2006-08); QB Eli Manning is the son of former Saints QB Archie Manning; RB Mark Ingram is the son of former Giants WR Mark Ingram Sr.; Head Coach Sean Payton spent four seasons with the Giants, one as the quarterbacks coach (1999) and three as the offensive coordinator (2000-02); Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo held the same position with the Giants for two seasons (2007-08).

Head Coach:

Joe Vitt (Interim)

Back at headquarters in Metairie, La.:

“That game is now behind us,” Vitt said Monday after the Saints’23-13 loss to Atlanta. “We’re putting it behind us and we’re going on to the next challenge, which is New York. We know they’re the defending champions and we have to continue to get better in that game too.”

GIANTS 101

Three Phase Consistency Needed From Giants And More From Afternoon Tea With Tom Coughlin

Excerpt: "New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin took the podium on Wednesday in an understandably to-the-point mood. Now 1-3 in the second half of the season and clinging to a slim one-game lead in the NFC East, the coach reiterated the importance of the Giants winning all games from here on out.

Of the players listed, only Locklear and Sash will not practice. Everyone else will participate on at least a limited basis, although Coughlin calls today's practice a "glorified job-through."

When asked about the visiting New Orleans Saints, Coughlin said "it will be nice to get them in our place," noting that home field advantage means nothing if the Giants don't show "consistency in all three phases." Read more...

Excerpt: "After watching Alfred Morris and Robert Griffin III run all over their front seven and their lead in the NFC East, the New York Giants find themselves clinging to a one-game lead in the division over the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins…and with little help likely to come from tiebreakers.

The first criteria in divisional tiebreakers is divisional record, where the Giants season-long failings look like to come back and haunt them: Big Blue will finish a mere 3-3 in the division, with the 'Skins currently sitting at 3-1 and the Cowboys at 3-2.

The Redskins and Cowboys play each other in Week 17, so there's no way the Giants can sneak out of this on both ends. With the Giants holding such a precarious lead, each matchup is going to be crucial. The Redskins finish vs. Baltimore, at Cleveland, at Philadelphia and vs. Dallas, while the Cowboys finish at Cincinnati, vs. Pittsburgh, vs. New Orleans and at Washington." Read more...

Excerpt: "Though the lead in the NFC East may be thin, and they're coming off an ugly loss, the New York Giants (7-5) still have possession of first place by a game ahead of the Washington Redskins (6-6) and Dallas Cowboys (6-6). When I last looked at the schedules, I thought the Cowboys would pose quite a threat, but now they and the Redskins are just steps behind the Giants in the race for the NFC East title.

The Cowboys defeated the Cleveland Browns in overtime, lost to the Redskins on Thanksgiving Day, and defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the final minutes on Sunday night. Next week they have the Cincinnati Bengalsaway. The Bengals have been on a run since they stomped on the Giants two weeks ago and they show no signs of slowing down as they continue to chase a playoff berth. Given the way the Cowboys have struggled in their last few games, including the ones they won, I wouldn't be shocked if Andy Daltonleads the Bengals to a victory next week.

Following the Bengals, the Cowboys have the Steelers at home, the Saints at home, and the Redskins away. I can see the Cowboys losing at least one of those games and going 8-8 to end the season.

The Redskins also have two road games and two home games down the stretch. They have the Ravens at home, Browns and Eagles away, and Dallas at home. I don't see the Redskins winning out and they will finish the season 9-7." Read more...

Excerpt: "Antrel Rolle called out his New York Giants' teammates late last season, and that ended up being one of the defining moments as the Giants pulled themselves together and went on a 6-0 Super Bowl run.

In the wake of Monday's disappointing 17-16 loss to the Washington Redskins, a defeat that took an NFC East that once seemed to be a lock for the Giants and threw it into a free-for-all, Rolle has done it again.

During his regular spot on WFAN Rolle said he's tired of teammates giving opposing players (like, umm, Robert Griffin III) so much credit and that the Giants, who seemed resigned to their fate Monday night, need to regain a "nasty attitude."

"Personally, that’s something myself, that’s not anything I’ve been too fond of," Rolle told WFAN’s Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts. "Do I respect my opponents? I respect them. You know, I’ll give credit when credit’s due. But I’m not gonna kiss anyone’s butt before the game. That’s something that I’m never, ever gonna do as long as I’m playing the game of football."

Rolle, of course, was referring to all of the platitudes the Giants sent RGIII's way after the first game between the teams, as well as last week leading up to Monday.

Excerpt: "Let's get down to business and review the New York Giants' 17-16 loss to the Washington Redskins on Monday night in our traditional 'Kudos & Wet Willies' style. My guess is this edition of 'K&WW' is going to cause a good bit of arguing over some of my choices.

I will just get this out of the way right now, before I even start with my thoughts on individual players. I have seen some comments saying the Giants defense played very well Monday night. I have seen other comments in threads here at BBV saying the defense was awful. The fact that there will be zero defensive players getting 'Kudos' tells you where I come down on this debate.

Fact is, the Giants' defense never really stopped the Redskins' offense. What stopped Washington's offense was the Giants' offense keeping the ball, especially in the first half. When Robert Griffin III was on the field the Redskins pretty much had their way with a Giants' defense that was playing hard, but had few answers for the read option and for RGIII's athleticism.

"You can play well against them. We could’ve played better, but as far as shutting them down. . . . I don’t know if it’s possible with a dynamic quarterback like him, who can kill you running and throwing," Tuck said.

He paused, then continued.
"Pretty much, you’ve got to get lucky."

Now, on with the 'Kudos & Wet Willies.'

Kudos to ...

Ahmad Bradshaw -- Admit it, this is what you were afraid of. With Andre Brown out for the year, the Giants played Bradshaw ... and played him ... and played him some more, while rookie David Wilson got four carries, seven snaps and was a complete afterthought. Bradshaw was terrific, with 103 yards on 24 carries. He can't keep this up, though. Eventually, the Giants will be forced to trust Wilson -- whether they want to or not.

Martellus Bennett -- He had five catches for 82 yards and a touchdown last night, and now has 44 catches on the season. That is more than Jake Ballard had last season, and more than half the 85 career catches he had in four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys." Read more...

After being listed as doubtful entering the game, Phillips convinced the coaches he could play. But he only was used for 20 snaps in three-safety packages on passing downs withStevie Brown starting alongside Antrel Rolle.

Phillips said his limited duty was not because of a setback.

"I appreciate them just giving me a chance," Phillips said after the 17-16 loss to the Redskins. "I didn't play too many snaps. [But] I came out fine. Nothing bad happened [physically]."

Phillips looked like he lacked burst after aggravating his MCL injury against Green Bay the previous week. The MCL injury kept Phillips out of six games earlier.

Phillips didn't play much in the second half and said he was fine with Brown starting ahead of him. Brown tied Rolle and Corey Webster for most defensive snaps in the game with 54.

"Right now, I am backing up Stevie which is OK with me right now dealing with my injury," Phillips said. "I felt like I was good enough to go out there and play. I didn’t have too many snaps but I wasn’t in too many positions to make many plays. But if I was, I think I could have made them." Read more...

As has become the norm at Pro Football Focus, Wednesday is Power Rankings day.Our analysts each make up their own selection of rankings, we add them up and come up with a top 32. From there each analyst is subjected to some abuse by the fans of a team he is deemed to have done wrong to.It’s a formula that works so here are the updated ones heading into Week 14.The individual rankings.

Excerpt: "The Cowboys kept alive their playoff hopes (barely) in beating the down-and-out Eagles, who made another coaching change on Monday. But right now, it’s the Redskins’ exciting win over the Giants that has the division suddenly back in play. Here are all the key goings-on from the division from Week 13:

GIANTS

What we learned: There’s now a three-way race in the NFC East with the Giants, Redskins and Cowboys. The Giants’ Monday-night loss puts them a mere game up with four to play, and only one of those games is in the division. The Redskins have the all-important division record in their favor — 3-1 vs. NFC East, compared to the Giants’ 2-3 mark — and that’s the first tiebreaker after head-to-head record. (The two teams split this season.) The Giants need to match or better the Redskins’ win total the rest of the way. That’s the bottom line.

What’s in store next: There are two games left on the road and two at home, starting with Sunday’s game against the Saints at MetLife Stadium. This one will be personal for the Giants. They have given up 127 points in the past three games (all losses) to the Saints, although two of those have been on the road. Still, with a Saints team that has been turnover-prone and is essentially now out of the playoff race, the Giants will want to jump on them early and deliver a knockout blow.

What the heck? They still could be in the driver’s seat, but missed opportunities have them kicking themselves. As in kicking too many field goals. In an eight-possession game, the Giants ended four of them with FG attempts. Three of them were good. That was good for nine points. Three of the four drives ate up more than 16 minutes of clock combined but accounted for only six points. So although the Giants dominated the stat sheet for the first three quarters of the ballgame, it ended up not mattering. The Giants’ offensive execution on the opponents’ side of the field has left a lot to be desired at times this season." Read more...

Excerpt: "Robert Griffin III went down, the ball popped out, and the Washington Redskins scored a touchdown.Look out, New York Giants and the rest of the NFC East. If the rookie quarterback keeps getting those kinds of breaks, it'll be hard to keep him out of the title hunt for years to come.

As it is, RG3 has the Redskins within a game of first place, leading a fourth-quarter rally in a 17-16 Monday night victory over the Giants, giving Washington a three-game winning streak in which it has dispatched division rivals - Philadelphia, Dallas and now New York - one by one.

Griffin completed 13 of 21 passes for 163 yards and ran five times for 72 yards, breaking Cam Newton's NFL record for yards rushing by a rookie quarterback.

His top target again was Pierre Garcon, who had eight receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown, showing no signs of the painful toe injury that forced him to miss six of the season's first nine games.

Alfred Morris ran for 124 yards on 22 carries, becoming the second Redskins rookie to run for 1,000 yards. Reggie Brooks had 1,063 in 1993.

Washington also ended a 10-game home losing streak in Monday night games, with Griffin again showing his knack for winning on a big stage.The Redskins (6-6) appeared out of the running at 3-6 a month ago, but Washington is proving it can never be counted out when Griffin is on the field.

With the Giants (7-5) losing three of four and the Cowboys (6-6) also at .500, the division is up for grabs.

Eli Manning completed 20 of 33 passes for 280 yards and a touchdown for the Giants, who had won 26 in a row on the road when holding a halftime lead. They were ahead 13-10 at the break Monday against the Redskins, but they failed to finish the job for the first time since blowing a 21-0 halftime lead in a 24-21 loss to Tennessee in 2006." Read more...